"The Housewife Assassin's Handbook" by Josie Brown

Five years ago, Donna Stone was your average housewife - two preschoolers, a baby on the way, an adoring husband named Carl, and a McMansion in Orange County. But all this came crashing to an end the night she delivered her baby when Carl's car blew up on the way to the hospital. It turns out Carl was a black-ops assassin for the Acme Corporation, hot on the heels of a terrorist cell known as Quorum. And he left behind something that they wanted badly.

To protect her family from Quorum and to avenge her husbands death, Donna joins Acme and becomes a top assassin, all the while juggling the fifth grade phone tree and carpool duty. But the terrorist group has planted a sleeper cell in her neighbourhood and things become a little too close for comfort. Will Donna be able to avenge her husbands death and stop Quorum before it's too late? And will she be able to get her son to his baseball game and pick up the cupcakes for the Father-Daughter dance?

The Housewife Assassin's Handbook by Josie Brown is a fun, sexy and intriguing mystery. Donna Stone is a great heroine - housewives can lead all sorts of double lives, but as an assassin? Who would have seen that one coming? Certainly not those in Donna's neighbourhood.

This book totally reminded me of the movie Mr & Mrs. Smith. Not that it is a copy of the movie, but that it has all of the thrills and enjoyment of the movie. It's a fast-paced read, the gadgets are awesome, and I could just picture Donna fighting off Russian gangsters and skinheads all the while having a pie at home cooling on the windowsill. As a housewife myself, this book was a fantastic escape that had me dreaming "if only" the whole way through. The book doesn't take itself too seriously, which makes for the perfect combination of mystery and humour.

A couple of quick warnings. There are descriptive sex scenes and strong language. I'm not a fan of either of the two, however they didn't bother me too much. Only a couple of times did I cringe at words that were used. And the Kindle edition did have some editing mistakes. They were more noticeable toward the end for me, but didn't take away from the book.

I highly enjoyed this book. It's not your typical assassin book as housewife assassins are not typical. Donna is a tough, feisty character who can take on anything or anyone that comes her way. Suspense and laughs are all rolled up into one in this book and you will find it difficult to put down. The handbook feel and household tips are a cute addition. Josie Brown is a creative and innovative writer and I look forward to what's to come in this series.

I would like to thank the author, Josie Brown, for providing me with a copy of the book. The opinions expressed above are purely my own.